wrestling / TV Reports
Cazer’s Impact Wrestling Review 12.16.21
Loading...It’s Thursday night so we’re about to get served up with a full dose of Impact wrestling. Last week we saw a continuation of the feud between Moose, Cardona and Morrisey and tonight we’ve got ourselves a contract signing for their match at Hard to Kill. Will Cardona once again stand tall over Morrisey and Moose or will we see a different result this week?
We’ve also got a plethora of interesting matches on tap for tonight. Josh Alexander interrupted Rohit Raju’s match last week in a fit of rage due to JONAH’s shenanigans. This week Josh has to face Raju one on one. Rohit is no small task and this should be a decent match assuming no monsters named JONAH get involved. In other singles action we’ve got Chris Bey taking on Laredo Kid in what should be an awesome X Division match. Speaking of the X Division, Trey Miguel will face John Skyler in a singles match that could have future championship implications should Skyler win.
Also on tap we’ve got the weird pairing of Gallows & Doring taking on Rich Swann & Willie Mack. The Good Brothers and VBD came together with a common goal in attacking Heath, Rhino, Willie & Rich. It’ll be interesting to see if this unique pairing can get a victory this week. Last week The Influence and The Iinspiration were a unique pairing that fell apart, this week we’ll see the fallout of that as Tenille Dashwood is set to face Jessie McKay in singles action. Sounds like another good episode on tap so let’s jump right into it.
Before the Impact: Ace Austin defeats Hernandez in a singles match.
* Jimmy Rave tribute to open the show.
* Recap of last weeks main event between Morrisey and Cardona.
Rohit Raju vs. Josh Alexander
Raju tries to catch Josh off guard with a right hand but Josh backs him into the ropes immediately forcing a break. Raju recognizes the injured ribs and starts targeting them but Josh tosses him across the ring and drops him with a boot to the chest. Josh sends Raju into the ropes and hits him with a back elbow sending him to the mat. Raju on the apron and looks for a spear but Josh moves and kicks him in the chest. Raj Singh gets involved and gets dropped with a boot outside but Raju rams him ribs first into the barricade before slamming him into the ring apron. Raju slides Josh into the ring and continues his assault dropping him to the mat with a series of strikes and chops. Raju goes for a cover and gets a two count. Josh back to his feet in the corner and Raju meets him with a chop but Josh reverses out and hits Raju with a series of chops of his own. Raju reverses out but Josh gets an ankle pick. Raju drops josh and covers for another two count. Raju off the ropes and runs into a fireman’s carry roll through. Josh on the middle rope and Raj Singh distracts him long enough for Raju to catch him with a ddt off the middle rope and then sends him gut first on the top rope. Raju covers Josh for a two count and continues hammering away with strikes and kicks. Josh to his feet he looks for a german but Raju reverses out off the ropes and runs right into a release belly to belly. Josh chargers into the corner with a forearm to Raju and drops him with a suplex. Raju fights back but eats a kick to the face from Josh. Raju with a roll up but Josh fights out. Josh sells the ribs and Raju locks in a submission while hammering at the ribs with forearms. Josh reverses out and locks in an ankle lock on Raju. Singh on the apron to distract Josh but Josh drops him with a forearm. Josh lifts Raju up but Rohit hits him with a forearm, Josh fights back and sends Raju into the corner with a forearm. Josh charges Raju but he moves and catches Josh with a series of movies in the corner ending with a cannonball in the corner. Rohit to the top rope and hits a double stomp on Josh Alexander right on the ribs. Raju covers but Josh kicks out just before three. Raju off the ropes and Josh looks for a german Raju reverses but Josh goes for the C4 Spike, the ribs prevent it so Raju hits an enziguri on Josh. Josh catches Raju in the corner and sets his leg in the ropes before leaping up and stomping on the back of Raju’s legs. Josh lifts Raju up and hits him with the C4 spike and covers Raju for the victory.
Rating: **3/4
Review: This was a really solid opening match, I thought Josh was going to run through Raju but as I mentioned in the opening Rohit is no slouch so i’m glad they let him look pretty good in this one. Josh winning relatively quick despite taking a beating is a testament to his toughness. Also cool that JONAH didn’t get involved, a nice clean match. Interesting note, the fans were calling for JONAH at the end of this one.
* Gia is backstage with the Good Brothers & VBD, she asks how they came to form an alliance. Karl says that they’ve got everyone gunning for them so it only made sense to align with them but they don’t trust them. Gallows talks his history with Doring, but says you have to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Eric Young says this isn’t a friendship or an alliance it’s a business deal, a necessary piece of the beautiful design. Eric says that tonight Doring and Gallows will set the tone tonight and show the world what violence is all about. This was a really good promo actually, and I enjoy VBD along the Good Brothers.
* Gia is talking with Chelsea about the women’s X-Division match and asks how it is to be part of this historic match. Chelsea says it’s an honor to be part of history and would love to win and go on to face Gail or Deonna for the title. She says she’ll do that and her fiancé will go on to become World Champion. Moose walks up and says Chelsea is a great woman for standing by his man who will always be a Midcarder. Chelsea says Moose came to talk smack to her because he’s too afraid to talk smack to Matt’s face. Moose warns her that if they’re getting married on New Years Eve and he’s facing Cardona shortly after then it’ll be a short lived wedding even by wrestling’s standards.
Joe Doring & Doc Gallows vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack
Swann and Gallows start early and Swann looks to use his speed to catch Gallows slipping Swann with a dropkick to the knee and tags Willie in. Willie with a couple strikes and a wristlock and tags Swann in. Swann with the same strategy before tagging Willie in. We get the quick tags until Gallows catches Swann with a right. Gallows charges Swann and sends himself to the outside. Doring goes to check on Gallows and we get a double dive from Swann and Mack to Doring & Gallows on the outside as we go to commercial.
Back from break and Swann is going back and forth with Gallows with strikes and of course Gallows takes control sending Swann on the apron. Doring teases getting involved and somehow the ref is there to prevent any of that. Gallows drops Swann off the apron and the ref begins counting but Doring drops down and lifts Swann up. Gallows with a kick to the chest before Doring tosses Swann into the ring. Doring locks in a Boston crab but it’s right by the ropes so Swann forces the break. Gallows gets yelled at by the ref and I’m thinking this guy is the best ref in the business. Gallows has Swann in the corner and hits him with a combo of rights and lefts dropping him to the mat. Swann gets to his feet and gets shit with a splash from Gallows in the corner. Doring tags in and drops Swann with a kick to the gut. Doring grabs the leg and tries to prevent Swann from making a tag, he ducks the first enziguri but is stunned by the second one. Swann dives to tag Willie in and he drops Doring with a combination of strikes sending him into the corner. Gallows tags in and Mack sends him into the corner with an enziguri. Swann and Mack drop Doring with a tag team move. Willie lifts Gallows up and Swann drops him off the top, they go for it again but it’s broken up. Doring and Gallows lift Willie up for a HUGE double chokeslam. Gallows covers Mack for the victory and the big men stand tall.
Rating: ** 3/4
Review: This was actually a really solid tag match, I didn’t expect Doring and Gallows to be so cohesive together, but it’s nice they once again went a relatively clean route rather than any issues from within costing Doring & Doc, also Swann & Willie doing so well the last few weeks make this a more interesting win in my book.
Post match: The Good Brothers & VBD continue their beat down they beat on Swann, Willie, Heath and Rhino until EDDIE EDWARDS hits the ring. Eddie evens the odds and eventually the good guys are able to clear the ring and stand tall. Looks like we’re setting up a sweet five on five tag match.
* VSK is backstage with Zicky Dice and says they should call Brian and tell him whats wrong. Zicky says they don’t have to it’ll all be ok. VSK asks if he thinks Brian doesn’t watch and know what happened. Zicky says it’s fine because when he see them beat Decay it’ll be fine. Zicky says he’s off next week for his parade of lights but after that they’ll show the world what they’ve got.
* JONAH says everyone’s been asking what the top dog is. He says his father went to prison and on his first day his dad got hit. The guards asked him what happened and he said nothing, JONAH said then and there he got the respect of the Top Dog. JONAH says he never forgot that story, he compares it to Josh getting dropped and getting back up. JONAH says instead of getting his respect, JONAH’s going to beat Josh down until he respects the Top Dog. He says Josh calls himself the walking weapon well we’re looking at Mass Destruction. Hmm the delivery was solid but not sure the promo was exactly what JONAH was looking for here.
John Skyler vs. Trey Miguel
Trey still has not timed his otherwise really sweet entrance very well yet. Skyler with a wrist lock and Bey dances his way into wrist control. Skyler rolls through and gets control but Trey rolls out and turns around back into a forearm. Skyler off the ropes and runs into a dropkick from Trey. Trey off the ropes and hits a tope to the outside on Skyler and he hangs on to toss Skyler back into the ring. Skyler rolls away to the outside and Trey bounces off the ropes again but Skyler catches shim with a surprise spear. Skyler lifts Trey up and sends him into the ropes and catches him with a strike to the midsection and an uppercut. Skyler sends Trey into the corner chest first and charges him but runs into a boot from Trey. Trey charges Skyler but he launches him into the corner with a belly to belly suplex. Skyler lifts Trey up and sets him on the top turnbuckle. Trey reverses and looks for a sunset flip but Skyler hangs on, Skyler fights out but is caught with a cheeky nandos kick. Trey to the top and hits Skyler with a Meteora after Skyler waits forever for Trey to do it.
Rating: **1/2
Review: This was relatively short and the finish was weird as Skyler was just waiting and waiting for Trey to hit the move. It wasn’t a bad match but I did have higher expectations for a fun fast paced match.
Post match: Trey stands tall to celebrate at the top of the ramp and Steve Maclin charges Trey dropping him on the ramp. Maclin grabs the X Division champion and waits for Trey to get up before blasting him with the championship. Maclin drags Trey to the back as we go to commercial.
Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid
D-Lo called this match of the year contender already. Not sure we need to thrust that level of praise on a match that’s sure to be good either way but hey can’t be mad at him for believing in their guys. The match of the decade begins and Bey forces a break because Laredo Kid pulled his hair. Bey lifts Kid up and drops him but Kid with the leg sweep. Armdrag from Laredo Kid and he flips to his feet. Bey stares shocked. Bey teases a grapple and kicks Laredo Kid in the midsection. Bey slams Kid into the corner chest first and starts talking trash. Bey with a right hand to Laredo and slams him face first into the turnbuckle. Bey looks for splash in the corner but Laredo with a chop and a springboard crossbody to take Bey down. Bey to his feet and Laredo hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Bey to the outside and Laredo dives off the apron but Bey moves, Laredo rolls through and Hikuleo gets involved starts talking trash to Laredo. Bey tries to take advantage of this but Laredo catches him. Laredo tosses Bey back in but Bey rolls through and kicks Laredo. Bey sends Laredo face first right into the ring post. Bey slides into the ring and allows the referee to begin counting before rolling out and slamming Laredo into the apron back firs. Bey slides Laredo in and covers for a two count. Laredo to his feet and hits Bey with a knee to the midsection. Bey off the ropes and drops Laredo with a kick to the knee and a dropkick before covering for a two count. Bey sets Laredo in the ropes and chokes him until the ref breaks it. While the ref is distracted Hikuleo chokes away at Laredo from the outside. Bey lifts Laredo to his feet but Laredo fights back and hits Bey with a right hand, Bey sends Laredo into the corner and hits him with an enziguri. Bey off the top and a huge flying clothesline. Bey covers for a two count. The crowd is behind both men and Bey hits Laredo with a series of kicks to the midsection. Bey ties up Laredos arm in the ropes and double stomps on it. Bey with a headlock on Laredo but Laredo to his feet and looks for a backdrop but Bey lands on his feet. Laredo chases Bey but lifted over top to the apron. Bey off the middle rope and looks for an elbow on Laredo. Laredo with a flip to the inside of the ring on Bey. Bey rolls outside but Laredo bounces off the ropes and takes Bey out with a tope. Laredo Kid toss Bey into the ring and climbs to the top looking for a dive but Hikuleo dumps Laredo to the outside while the ref is distracted. We go to break as Bey starts to regain his composure.
Back from Break and Bey’s got Laredo in the corner. Bey looks for a splash but Laredo moves. He slams Bey and hits a moonsault, uno mas, one more, he connects and covers Bey for a two count. Laredo lifts him up and goes for a suplex but Bey blocks it and rolls through into a pinfall for two. Both men to their feet and Bey catches Kid with a kick to the face. Bey gets Laredo on his shoulders and drops him to the mat before covering for another two count. Bey slams Laredo into the corner with his shoulder. Bey lifts Laredo up and taunts giving Laredo a chance to fight out and he hits the driver from the top rope and covers for another two count. Laredo to the top rope and looks for a phoenix splash but Bey moves and Laredo rolls through. Both men on the top rope and they exchange strikes. Bey lays Laredo Kid out on the top rope and hits the drop the bass on him on the top rope. Bey covers for a two count. Bey looks for art of Finesse but Laredo catches it and hits Bey with a flipping DDT. Laredo calls for the top but Hikuleo interrupts him so Laredo Kid dives from the top rope to the outside and takes Hikuleo out. Laredo to the top rope but Bey catches him with an enziguri. Buy climbs to the top and once again they exchange strikes. Bey backflips off the top. Laredo Kid dives right into a cutter from Bey. Bey covers for the three count and the victory.
Rating: *** 1/4
Review: This was a hell of a match, but it suffered personally because commentary overhyped it early. The finish was sweet and Bey connected it beautifully. Both of these guys are so so talented, I just wish they were featured more prominently. This would’ve been awesome at the open, I really enjoyed the few weeks in a row with X-Division matches to open things up.
* We recap Deonna Purazzo attending Final Battle and confronting Rok-C. Love that they’re building to Deonna vs. Rok-C on Impact TV. Deonna is doing a signing and Mickie shows up only to get harassed by Deonna. They exchange words but fortunately nothing breaks out in this lovely casino. Well that was wrong, Deonna follows Mickie and they start brawling in a separate area. Security is quick to break them apart while Rehwoldt talks trash for Deonna.
* We’re ‘live’ and Scott’s lecturing both Deonna and Mickie. Deonna jumps to her feet and Gail slams her back to the couch. Scott says the no contact clause is back on. Gail says that they need a match to settle this once and for all, Gail says it’s going to be a Texas Death match. Mickie says of course because they do it bigger in Texas and tells Deonna welcome to Hardcore Country. Oh SNAPPPP.
* Oh cool we got a sweet coming soon promo. Masha Slamovich is coming soon! LETS GOOO.
Tenille Dashwood vs. Jessie McKay
Love that commentary acknowledges that it’s a heel vs. heel match in the main event slot. At least the crowd is like ya boy and they love some Iinspiration. What’s with wrestling commentators having to sing theme songs these days. This one is slow to start but Jessie drops Tenille and poses as we go to commercial.
Back from break and Jessie has Tenille in the corner and stomps away at her. Jessie lifts Tenille up and sends her into the opposing corner but Tenille sets Jessie on the apron and hits her with a neckbreaker on the ropes. Tenille covers for a two count. Tenille goes back to stomping away at Jessie and slamming her face first in the corner. Tenille starts pulling away at Jessies hair and goes to pose with Madison and Kaleb snaps a picture. Tenille slaps at Jessie as she tries to get to her feet. Jessie sends Tenille into the ropes and she bounces back dropping Jessie with a clothesline. Jessie in the corner and Tenille with a running crossbody into the corner. Tenille covers for another Two count. Tenille locks in a full nelson and Jessie fights out slamming her into the corner. Jessie with a series of clotheslines on Tenille and sends her into the corner with a forearm. Jessie with a suplex and cover for a two count. Jessie looks for a urinagi but Tenille fights out. Jessie with a big boot and drops Tenille, Jessie covers and gets a two count but Kaleb pulls the referee out of the ring. They blame Cassie and Jessie goes outside to drop Madison. Jessie heads back into the ring but Kaleb trips her up. Tenille off the ropes and drop kick to the face of Jessie before covering for the victory.
Rating: * 1/2
Review: Well every match can’t be great but sheesh this was full of hiccups. Why didn’t Jessie win via DQ when Kaleb pulled the ref out? It’s tough because I enjoy the story and all of the characters but this match did not do it for me.
* Back from break and Scott D’Amore is in the ring, he discusses the triple threat set for Impact Hard to Kill and says its time to make things official with a contract signing. Big tall W.Morrisey has to come sit in the folding chair for the contract signing. Cardona comes out with Chelsea and sits across from Morrisey, not going to lie this looks more like high school lunch than a contract signing. Moose is out and it’s time for our contract signing. Scott says that Cardona has come here to get something that has eluded him his entire career. He reminds us it was a year ago that Cardona made his Impact debut. D’Amore says Cardona can sign first and Morrisey gets up and grabs the contract, he says this is an opportunity to play mind games, but he didn’t come here to play games or make friends, he came here to become the Impact world champion. Morrisey says at Hard to Kill that’s exactly what he’s going to do and signs the contract. Morrisey tosses the contract and walks away. Got to love the short simple move here from the big guy.
D’Amore hands the contract to Cardona and says it’ll just take a signature. Cardona says Morrisey isn’t wrong, the last few weeks have been trash talk and sneak attacks. He says Moose tried to kill his passion. Cardona tells Moose that there’s noone in this business who has been counted out and come back more times than he has. He says he’s hard to kill, but his passion is impossible to kill. Cardona says he’ll never be more ready than he’ll be at hard to kill. Cardona signs the contract before sliding it to D’Amore. D’Amore tells Moose to scribble five letters and make the match official. Moose says before he signs this, does Cardona truly want to step in the ring vs. The greatest world champion in all of professional wrestling. Moose says this will end like it always does, with Cardona as a failure, so does he really want Moose to sign it. Cardona says no more trash talk just sign the damn contract.
Moose signs the contract and tells Cardona he’s in the main event of Hard to Kill. Moose tells Cardona it’s a tough challenge ahead of him, but Chelsea has a tough challenge as well. Moose says he told Chelsea he loves how loyal she is for staying with an average man. He says she’s so loyal because she sees so much in him, she thinks he can one day be a top guy. Moose says what happens at Hard to Kill once she beats him and crushes his dreams? What happens when she sees he’ll always be mid-cardona? Does she stay loyal or does she leave like the Whore she is. Cardona stikes Moose and Moose sends hsim face first into the table. D’Amore dips as Chelsea freaks out. Moose drops Cardona with a big Boot before throwing him through the table with a urinagi. Moose stands tall over Cardona and Chelsea crawls around to check on Cardona as Moose walks away. Scott yells at Moose as he walks to the back so Moose heads back to the ring. Moose shoves Chelsea and lays into Cardona with right hands before grabbing the chair. Moose wraps the chair around Cardona neck. Moose grabs another chair but Chelsea grabs it to stop him and almost reasons with him. Moose rips the chair out of her hands and Cardona charges him with a chair. Moose moves and Cardona drops Chelsea with a chairshot as Moose heads to the back.
Match of the Night: Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid.
This was a freakin banger and easily the match of the night, even though most of the in ring action tonight was good to great. I’d love to see these two in a long standing feud for the X-Division title but for now a solid TV match will have to do. I didn’t love Commentary over hyping this match but it has been the best match in many weeks so can’t hate them for it.
Moment of the Night: Jimmy Rave tribute.
This was a taped show so it’s hard to get a true tribute in but i’m glad they did what they could and showed respect to a superstar who might not have the biggest name but was absolutely a great part of the early Impact days, if you’re unfamiliar with the Rock N Rave connection I encourage you to check some videos out online.
Thanks for chatting with me this week and watching Impact, until next time!
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